KENT, Ohio — The United States is in the midst of a mental health crisis.
The CDC reports suicides amongst young adults ages 10 to 24 are at the highest they've been in decades.
Suicides increased by 4% between 2020 and 2021.
Kent State University is working to stop the stigma and start educating on how to further prevent these tragedies.
It's being done through a new suicide prevention course.
The course could be the answer or at least a critical step toward bringing change, according to mental health professionals.
Kent State is the first university in Ohio to offer the class.
Anyone can take it as an elective.
"We have a suicide problem in this country and we have a suicide problem in Ohio," Matt Butler, Program Director/Lecturer Bachelor of Social Work Program at Kent State University said.
Kent State University is making mental health a priority and educating its students and staff on suicide awareness.
Beginning in August—they will offer Ohio's first evidence-based suicide prevention course.
It's being done in partnership with the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation - which funded the original course.
"Everybody has a role in suicide prevention. So, that means if you know someone if you see someone that you think might be struggling. You're not in this alone," Tony Coder, Executive Director of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, said.
Students can take the Suicide Prevention Course through the College of Applied and Technical Studies Bachelor of Social Work Program.
However, the university is opening it up to all students and offering it as a hybrid model.
In-person portions will be held at Salem, Ashtabula, and Tuscarawas campuses.
"The idea behind this class and the idea behind a lot of the suicide prevention efforts that were involved in is to figure out ways to get more and more people who work in more professions and more types of settings," Butler said.
Officials say it's vital especially after data from the Ohio Department of Health shows Ohio averaged more than 1,700 suicide deaths between 2016-2021.
The suicide prevention course will offer in-depth tactics, hands-on training methods and important conversations for a full semester.
Butler says it bridges a gap in the training process, as oftentimes these skills are unfortunately learned while on the job for many.
He says the skills learned are invaluable and could save several lives.
"We're trying to expand that level of specialization so that everybody can have a little bit of a specialization in this in this area because it's so vastly important," Butler said.
The course starts in August and since it's a hybrid model course—you can take it in multiple locations at Kent branch campuses.
If you or someone you know is struggling, dial 988.
988 is the Suicide and Crisis lifeline.
For more information, click here.
